The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today elected Alain Berset (Switzerland) as Secretary General of the Council of Europe for a five-year term beginning on 18 September 2024.

In the second round of the election, Mr Berset obtained 114 votes, a majority of the votes cast. The other candidates, Indrek Saar (Estonia) and Didier Reynders (Belgium) obtained 85 votes and 46 votes respectively.

Alain Berset was a member of the Swiss Government from 2012 to 2023. During this time he held, in particular, the office of President of the Confederation twice, in 2018 and 2023. As Minister, Mr Berset headed the Federal Department of Home Affairs. Before joining the Government, he was a member of the Swiss Federal Parliament from 2003 to 2011 and chaired the Council of States (the upper house of parliament) in 2008-9.